UN Exclusive
Addressing the UN 65th General Assembly, President Gül vowed: “Turkey will continue to lend its full support and cooperation to this august body in our quest to leave a much safer, more prosperous, cleaner and healthier world to our children”.
President Abdullah Gül, delivering a speech at the General Debate of the UN 65th General Assembly, noted that the mission of the United Nations is to protect the dignity, security and well-being of all human beings. Therefore, he said, “peace”, “security”, “stability” and “welfare” constitute the tenets of Turkey’s work and action in the United Nations.
TURKEY’S NON-PERMANENT SEAT AT THE UNSC
The President, referring to Turkey’s non-permanent seat at the UNSC, further stated that since this esteemed body gave Turkey an overwhelming mandate for a non–permanent seat at the Security Council, it has worked hard, “sincerely”, “objectively” and “effectively” to contribute to peace, security and welfare of the international community. In these two years, he maintained, Turkey has tried to offer its added value in a fair and principled manner in order to address various global and regional issues.
GÜL CHAIRS THE UN SUMMIT ON PEACEKEEPING-PEACE BUILDING
President Gül later delivered a speech at the UNSC Summit on “Peacekeeping –Peace Building” on behalf of Turkey. He asserted at the summit that despite dedicated efforts, the Council has so far proven to be somewhat slow in adapting itself to changing circumstances. First starting with preventive diplomacy, the international community needs to better coordinate its activities, the President maintained, arguing that given the multi-dimensional and indivisible nature of the current security environment, all major stakeholders need to collaborate among themselves and this should start from within the United Nations itself. “The Security Council, in particular, must reach out to its partners within and outside the UN system and make better use of their comparative advantages in the pursuit of our shared objectives,” suggested President Gül.
The President, afterwards, held a press conference after the UNSC Summit on Peacekeeping-Peace Building that he presided over.
The meeting, he argued, was a very fruitful exchange of views among the council members and exclaimed: “Turkey feels privileged to have held and chaired this historic summit!”
GÜL ADDRESSES AT THE SUMMIT ON THE MDGs
On the third day of his program in New York, President Gül addressed the UN Summit on the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) 139 heads of state and governments attended. Stating that global challenges, including the economic and financial crisis and adverse impacts of climate change have made the MDGs even more pertinent today, the President further accentuated that the efforts should not be limited to government activities, adding that they must also rally non-governmental organizations and the private sector around a revitalized development agenda. He later pointed to a road map as follows: “Our overarching objective must remain the eradication of poverty and hunger. We need to adopt strategies in favor of the poor and vulnerable. Investment in agriculture is essential to ensure food security. We need to make progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment. There should be more emphasis on education and health. We need to pursue environmental sustainability with stronger political commitment and action. We should acknowledge mutually reinforcing relations among the notions of democracy, development and security.”
GÜL REITERATES TURKEY’S RESOLUTENESS TOWARDS REFORMS
President Gül, launched the fifth day of his visit by having a breakfast with leading Turkish and American CEOs at The Plaza Hotel. Referring to the developments in all fields in Turkey, the President called on Turkish and American CEOs of the American leading corporations to invest in Turkey.
GÜL AS GUEST OF HONOR AT THE BALKAN LEADERS SUMMIT
Delivering a speech as guest of honor at the Balkan Leaders Summit, President Gül maintained that the common ground of the leaders attending it is to protect the Balkan region, suggesting: “Today we need to be in more solidarity and cooperation. We would like to resolve problems through diplomacy, dialogue and politics.”
Underlining the significance of the Balkan countries’ membership in the EU, the President also congratulated those current members of the EU. The EU membership, he asserted, vows economic accumulation, security and stability, underscoring: “I wholeheartedly believe that one day, all the Balkan countries will be EU members. The Balkans is not the edge of Europe, but rather its heart and center. It is out of the questionfor it to be excluded when we look at the EU map.”
GÜL’S INTERVIEWS WITH MEDIA AGENCIES IN THE US
Wall Street Journal
Newsweek
The New York Times
PBS TV (Charlie Rose Show)
CNN (Fareed Zakaria)
Associated Press
TRT Haber
GÜL PROCLAIMES TURKEY’S VISION AT CFR
President Abdullah Gül delivered a comprehensive speech on Turkey’s foreign policy including its relations with the States and EU at a US think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, in New York. President Gül, during his speech, argued that the Turkish-American relationship cannot solely be qualified as a “strategic partnership” anymore, but rather he suggested it should be a more comprehensive “model partnership”, as President Obama characterized it during his first overseas bilateral visit to Turkey last year and underlined the significance of establishing a new mechanism in their dialogue for economic issues.
